Time to implement Museveni’s warning
Jan 28, 2010
Two Ugandans died and five others sustained severe injuries when a building under construction on Luwum Street in Kampala collapsed on Tuesday morning. From the pictures, it was clear the site was simply a disaster waiting to happen, owing to the deep excavation with a weak retaining wall.
Two Ugandans died and five others sustained severe injuries when a building under construction on Luwum Street in Kampala collapsed on Tuesday morning. From the pictures, it was clear the site was simply a disaster waiting to happen, owing to the deep excavation with a weak retaining wall.
The tragedy of collapsing buildings in Kampala is not new. In 2006, 27 people died and 86 were seriously injured when a church collapsed on them during a service, in Kalerwe, a city suburb. The following year, a hotel structure in Bwebajja on Entebbe Road collapsed, killing 11 people. Weeks later, the building that housed Mini Price Bata on Ben Kiwanuka Street in the city centre also collapsed, killing three people. Another building under construction at St. Peters SS in Naalya crumbled, killing 11 workers.
Late last year, seven people died and two were critically injured when a retaining wall collapsed at the National Social Security Fund site in Kampala. This was followed by the death of four workers at Aya Hotel site. On Nasser Road last year, another building collapsed, killing one person and injuring scores when a foundation wall caved in.
From the above incidences, it is clear the majority of the structures collapsed as a result of poor excavation without strong retainer walls, an indication that the responsible bodies have learnt nothing from the tragedies. Can the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers and the Engineers Registration Board, the Uganda Society of Architects, Kampala City Council and the supervising ministry tell us what they have done to stop the situation since the Bwebajja tragedy? The Police last year listed 27 high risk construction sites, but who has made a follow-up to ensure mitigating measures were put in place before work continued?
Perhaps it is high time we implemented President Yoweri Museveni’s warning that those responsible for collapsing buildings are sentenced to death because the responsible organs seem to learn nothing from history.
The tragedy of collapsing buildings in Kampala is not new. In 2006, 27 people died and 86 were seriously injured when a church collapsed on them during a service, in Kalerwe, a city suburb. The following year, a hotel structure in Bwebajja on Entebbe Road collapsed, killing 11 people. Weeks later, the building that housed Mini Price Bata on Ben Kiwanuka Street in the city centre also collapsed, killing three people. Another building under construction at St. Peters SS in Naalya crumbled, killing 11 workers.
Late last year, seven people died and two were critically injured when a retaining wall collapsed at the National Social Security Fund site in Kampala. This was followed by the death of four workers at Aya Hotel site. On Nasser Road last year, another building collapsed, killing one person and injuring scores when a foundation wall caved in.
From the above incidences, it is clear the majority of the structures collapsed as a result of poor excavation without strong retainer walls, an indication that the responsible bodies have learnt nothing from the tragedies. Can the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers and the Engineers Registration Board, the Uganda Society of Architects, Kampala City Council and the supervising ministry tell us what they have done to stop the situation since the Bwebajja tragedy? The Police last year listed 27 high risk construction sites, but who has made a follow-up to ensure mitigating measures were put in place before work continued?
Perhaps it is high time we implemented President Yoweri Museveni’s warning that those responsible for collapsing buildings are sentenced to death because the responsible organs seem to learn nothing from history.